Technology is always evolving, and while leveraging new tech is a bit easier for the younger generations, seniors and senior service agencies have been getting better about adapting to the resources available to them. Thanks to developments with internet capabilities, devices, and more, older adults have been able to stay connected to family members more easily, contact emergency services more quickly, and keep up with their wellness goals more efficiently.
However, as AI has burst onto the scene, adults of all ages are trying to figure out what is possible. If you’re tech savvy, or if you’re just curious to find new ways to help yourself or your aging loved one be as safe and as independent as possible, using AI could be a tool to meet those wellness goals.
Here are just a few ways you can utilize AI with the older adult in your life.
New Learning
Lifelong learning, sometimes referred to in research as late-life learning, has been proven to be a foundational piece of the healthy aging puzzle. Learning new things as we get older has been linked to benefits ranging from bolstered self-esteem to enhanced psychological wellbeing to social inclusion. In addition, a commitment to lifelong learning can improve cognitive health and even stave off dementia.
However, it can be difficult for older adults to pursue new learning. If they do not drive, how can they safely make it to their pottery class or their history lecture at the library? If they have decreased mobility or require assistance for ambulation, it can be challenging to get out of the home confidently to their class.
AI could step in to fill those gaps, giving older adults a way to learn something new or build a curriculum they can stick to:
- Use a program like ChatGPT to give the user a trivia question. The senior can respond with their answer and then ask ChatGPT to give them the correct answer, along with interesting information about that trivia question. This is a wonderful habit to stack with their morning cup of coffee!
- Your loved one’s AI assistant, like an Amazon Alexa, can also be an easy source of new learning. Alexa, for example, can play a variety of cognitive games with a simple verbal command. Try a song quiz or a name that tune game while making lunch.
- AI-powered apps, like Duolingo, can help your loved one learn a new language, and the gamified approach can keep them coming back daily to maintain their learning streak. Try getting in the habit of checking in with Duolingo daily before dinner.
Nutrition
Older adults can often struggle with maintaining a healthy diet. Common challenges include prescribed diets that are difficult to learn, cooking for just one person, and decreased appetite due to chronic conditions or medication side effects. If you or your loved one is finding that eating 3 healthy meals a day is a chore, AI could step in and provide a little organizational guidance and dietary inspiration.
- Use a platform like ChatGPT to get ideas and recipes for a meal by adding in the ingredients you already have in your home. Try a command like, “What lunch recipe could I make using rotisserie chicken, zucchini, pasta, and corn?” You can even add in special requests, like sugar-free or gluten-free options.
- Seniors often turn to convenience food and restaurant take-out as an easy way to get a meal. Make sure it is as healthy as possible by using AI apps like Chefari or HealthifyMe. These apps can give options for what to order at restaurants in your area.
- If you or your loved one is on a new prescribed or recommended diet, it can be overwhelming to learn how to eat within your new parameters. Using an AI program like ChatGPT to make meal plans and grocery lists for your new diet can make it a lot easier to eat healthy meals that support your nutrition goals.
Managing Chronic Conditions
When you receive a diagnosis of a chronic condition, like heart disease or diabetes, it is important to learn to manage it as effectively as possible. Keeping up with appointments, taking medications on schedule, and maintaining an exercise program are ways that you can ensure you feel your best for as long as possible.
AI can help by:
- Keep up with new habits, like walks after meals to stabilize blood sugar or drinking enough water each day, by using an AI-powered app like Habitify. Most habit-building apps have a gamification approach, so you’ll be more likely to check off those habits in order to advance in the game or keep your streak.
- Ask ChatGPT to inform you about any side effects of new medications you are taking so that you can keep an eye out for them.
Socialization and Companionship
While face-to-face socialization with a peer is always the preferred option to meet healthy aging recommendations, you can still utilize AI to support companionship and socialization:
- Ask ChatGPT to pull a list of senior events for a specific week or month in your local area.
- Feeling nervous about going to a new group activity? Ask ChatGPT for a few conversation starters that you can keep in the back of your mind for any lulls in the discussion.
- AI companion programs like ElliQ are starting to explore more when it comes to senior companionship. Users can ask their AI companion for trivia questions, reminders, and engage in social conversations.
Technical Advances for Senior Safety
Finally, seniors living at home alone (or with a partner) can often find maintaining independence and safety challenging. There have been technological advances in the senior safety industry, giving caregivers and seniors the chance to prevent emergencies and to respond more quickly when one does happen:
- Bay Alarm Medical medical alert systems leverage fall detection technology to notice when a user may have fallen. This can allow the device to ask the user if they are safe. If the user does not respond, the device will contact emergency response operators and provide GPS information as needed.
The team at Bay Alarm Medical is looking forward to seeing how our technology can soon integrate with AI-powered senior health services like ElliQ and Care Coach.
- Wearable devices and camera systems that use AI can also detect potential falls and medical conditions, giving seniors living at home or in a senior living community an extra layer of protection and preventative check-ins.
We are all still learning so much about AI and what it can offer to every generation. Consider carefully utilizing it in small ways to support your loved one as they age in place.
